one-pan (miracle) meals
plus: an interview with david lebovitz
Monday, September 29, 2025
Good morning!
The Soviet Union Collapsed. Then the Fight Over Food Began [Bloomberg]
A terrible loss: Marian Burros, 92; Food Writer Famed for Her Plum Torte [NYTimes, gift link] [Purple Plum Torte]
You would think that the December holidays would be the most wildy busy part of the year, but for me, it’s always September that knocks me sideways with the new school year, new schedules, high holidays, and a secret wish that it was still actually summer, especially when it still really feels like summer outside. This month has been no different, even if it’s included fantastic stuff like a weekend upstate and a few days in France, and a last dash to the beach this past weekend. While it feels to soon in the school year for me, personally, to accept a steady rotation of frozen dumplings or pizza as dinner (soon, however), I’m turning instead to my favorite one-pan and one-bowl recipes that make weekday cooking more appealing and even doable. Below, a few favorites that I hope will make the busy weeks more managable.
Plus, this week we’ve got an interview with one of my favorite people, David Lebovitz, whose reissued classic, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, comes out tomorrow. I cannot wait to make one of everything, but I’m starting with that marjolaine.
Cheers,
Deb
I’ve written three cookbooks and one audiobook and I’m a tiny bit biased, but I think you’d love them all. Not sure which one to check out first? Take a look at the recipe index and see which collection jumps out at you most.
simple chicken tortilla soup
This simple chicken tortilla soup is a weeknight favorite and a cinch to pull off even after a long day, while not skimping at all on flavor or texture. I hope it makes its way into your repertoires, too.
one-pan ditalini and peas
Meet the pasta dish I can’t stop making. It’s cozy and quick, and because everything happens in one pot, there’s almost no mess to clean up. The sauce is silky but unheavy but tastes complex and fussed-over. The peas add perfectly cooked pops of sweetness and they’re an ideal forkful match for the ditalini. Come, make it an embarrassing amount of times with me. [Video below!]
skillet ravioli with spinach
A 15-minute, 5-ingredient crispy-creamy pasta-and-greens dinner that wants to change the way we make ravioli forever, just in time to talk ourselves out of ordering pizza tonight.
one-pan farro with tomatoes
Dinner tonight? I think you should make my One-Pan Farro, the recipe that converts all of the farro skeptics. It’s easy (everything cooks at once, all together, with ingredients you probably already have around), quick, vegetarian, and yet tastes anything but austere.
pasta with longer-cooked broccoli
A one-pan pasta dish with broccoli that’s intentionally cooked longer, so it’s tender, almost silky, and you can really taste the olive oil, garlic, and lemon. It’s cozy and perfect for a rainy day.
roasted squash and tofu with ginger
A salty-spicy-acidic-sweet tray of winter squash and crispy tofu from Diana Henry that always hits the spot.
sausage and potato roast with arugula
A simple but exceptional sausage and potato roast that gets a lift from roasted shallots and a heap of peppery arugula, an easy sheet pan meal for busy days.
oven-braised beef with tomatoes and garlic
This three-ingredient cult classic from Gourmet is worth all the hype. Less than 15 minutes prep time yields a meltingly tender braise and days of gorgeous leftovers.
my favorite brownies
My favorite brownies are intense, fudgy, and a little chewy and fantastically easy too: 7 ingredients, 1 bowl, and you could be eating them 40 minutes from now.
cannoli pound cake
A one-bowl cake that absolutely bursts with the flavors of a good cannoli -- orange and lemon peel, a whiff of Marsala, chopped pistachios and an ample mess of mini-chocolate chips -- with none of the deep-fried and filled-to-order fuss. Good enough to make twice and give as a gift, so shop accordingly.
AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID LEBOVITZ
My shelves are full of wonderful cookbooks I don’t get to talk about enough, so I’ve added this section so you can get to know the cool people behind them. Today we're chatting with David Lebovitz. The revised edition of his cookbook, Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, is out tomorrow, 9/30.
1. What inspired your cookbook?
Being an ardent baker, and being a meticulous one at that (which I’m sure you can relate to, Deb…), I loved that I could revisit my all-time favorite recipes and include how I’ve tweaked them over the years, and made them even better, and in many cases, easier too. You don’t get many chances to go back in time – so I was happy that I got a chance to do so, revisiting and revising them for how we all bake today.
I was fortunate to have an amazing team come to Paris to shoot the book for three weeks, and the new photos were taken in my Paris kitchen and garden, and not only show how I make the desserts, but hopefully transport readers into my kitchen in Paris, to join me.
2. What recipe are you the most proud of in the book, or felt the most triumphant when you got it right?
I was happy to add new recipes to the book, which are inspired by my favorite desserts in Paris. I found the secret to making the greatest and creamiest Riz au lait (rice pudding) imaginable, using tricks from the chef at the bistro where it’s served, although with clusters of crunchy, caramelized nuts and ribbons of salted butter caramel, to top it off.
There are also Palets breton cookies, which are seemingly simple, and I know that you know that sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to get right, Deb, but I worked on those cookies so they taste exactly like the ones you get at bakeries in Brittany. (My friend George Dolese, who came to Paris to do food styling on my book, could not stop eating them. Food stylists are notorious for being around food all the time, but being able to resist eating everything. So I consider the fact that he couldn’t resist those to be a big compliment.)
But my most triumphant recipe was the Maple Syrup Tartlets from Tapisserie bakery, the pastry shop of the well-known Septime restaurant, which happens (thankfully!) to be just down the street from me. At the bakery the, buttery tart shells are filled with a rich, but not overly-so, maple filling, topped with a swoop of freshly whipped cream. The tarts have achieved a cultlike following worldwide and people come from around the world to try them, and I figured out how anyone can make them at home. Everyone who tries them falls in love with them. Don’t tell, but my partner, Romain, actually said mine were better than the ones at the bakery. I hope people give them a try.
3. What recipe is so low-effort, high-reward that it's worth cooking for dinner tonight, even if we're tired and don't want to cook?
The spiced candied pecans. Nothing could be simpler. Just mix pecans with some spices, brown sugar, and an egg white. They get baked for 30 minutes, and then, you’ve got a generous amount of sweet/spicy treats to snack on. They’re perfect for dessert on their own, alongside a bowl of fresh fruit, or sprinkled over ice cream, but they’re also wonderful to add crunch, and intrigue, to any salad. I don’t like to use the word “addictive” very often, but these really do fit that bill.
4. What's something you wish more people knew about your book?
How hard it was to get the cover right. There’s such a trend right now to have good-looking people on book covers. It felt a little awkward for me to be on the cover of the book. And I didn’t want a picture of me holding a cake, looking off-camera at who-knows-what. So it was decided to feature a simple dessert on the cover.
Cookbook covers are tricky because they need to convey the story and concept of the book in one photo. There also needs to be room for the book title and author’s name, then, the marketing team at the publisher needs to approve it. We’d shot the picture that’s on the cover during lunch, while we were on break from shooting dessert in my kitchen.
When I picked up the pitcher of warm chocolate sauce to douse our profiteroles with it, Ed Anderson, the photographer, quickly snapped a photo of me doing it. Apparently, the action caught his eye and the shot became the cover of the book as it says it all - how much I love chocolate, how much I enjoy eating desserts, and the fun of eating in a Paris bistro. That smile on my face wasn’t for the camera - it’s because I was ready for dessert! And that’s what made the cover.
Thank you, David! You can preorder Ready for Dessert right here.
one-pan ditalini and peas
shop my favorites
Ever wonder where I get my cutting boards, paring knives, offset spatulas and more that you see when I cook? I've created a page on Smitten Kitchen with links to some of my favorite kitchen items, the ones I'm asked about the most — yes, including the the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser. For each item, I've attempted to provide a range of shopping links so we're not just focusing on one giant retailer.
What’s the Smitten Kitchen x Staub Braiser? It’s essentially a lower profile enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that works as as well as a deep sauté pan as it does a soup pot, roasting pan, or even casserole dish that perfectly fits a pasta bake. Not a week has gone by in the decade-plus I’ve had mine when I don’t use it at least three times. Fun news: The braiser is now exclusively sold at Williams-Sonoma and available in six gorgeous new colors!
Looking for recipe inspiration for your new braiser? I created a category on the site to highlight some of my favorite dishes I make in mine.
See you next week!
